Free The Devil Inside by Jenna Black Page A

Kingsley #1
    I rubbed my sweaty palms up and down my pants legs. “I know. I’ve been telling myself over and over that it doesn’t make any sense, that it’s just my imagination. But I can’t help being freaked out.” I pulled my latest missive from my pocket and handed it to Val. “I mean, Jesus, look at this! I don’t have this good an imagination, so where is it all coming from?”
    Val smiled indulgently as she took the note from my hand and donned her glasses for a closer look. I bit my lip as I watched her read, hoping she’d laugh at me some more and dismiss my foolish worries. She didn’t. In fact, I could have sworn she went a little pale, and her hand jerked as if she was startled.
    “What is it?” I asked. “Does this mean something to you?”
    She folded the note carefully, then shivered as if in a sudden chill. “I can see why it worried you,” she admitted. “It would freak me out, too.” Her face still looked pale, and whether she knew it or not, she was chewing her lower lip.
    “But does it mean anything to you?” I asked again, wondering why she wouldn’t meet my eyes.
    She shook her head, staring at the folded note. “No. It’s just creepy.” She sighed, finally raising her eyes to mine once more. “Still, it’s got to be your imagination. If you were possessed, I’d have seen it in Topeka.”
    I had the distinct impression there was more to it than she was telling, but if there was, I wasn’t sure I wanted to know about it. “Will you take another look at my aura anyway?”
    She frowned, then shrugged. “Hell, I guess it’s no skin off my teeth. And if it’ll make you feel better…”
    “Thanks,” I said, more relieved than I wanted to admit. She flashed me an encouraging smile. “I’m sure there’s nothing to worry about, Morgan.”
    I forced an answering smile. “Who me? Worry?”
    Val laughed and gave me a quick hug. She knows I’m not the hugging type, so she let go before I had a chance to complain.
    “I’ll go get my kit,” she said. “I’ll be right back.”
    For whatever reason, I felt unbearably antsy the moment she left the room. I stood up and paced, trying to work off my nervous energy. What did I have to be nervous about? I knew Val wasn’t going to find anything. But the nerves got worse and worse as the seconds ticked away. 49 / 226
    Jenna Black, The Devil Inside (2007)
    Morgan Kingsley #1
    Butterflies flapped in my stomach. My head started pounding, and I wanted nothing more than to run frantically out her front door. What was the matter with me? I touched my fingers to the pulse in my neck to find it racing wildly. Sweat dewed my skin. Was I having some kind of panic attack? I’d never felt anything like this. As I tried to psychoanalyze myself, I noticed something odd. Val’s house is old and creaky. You can hear every step anyone takes. I’d heard her mount the steps to the second floor, and I’d heard her moving around upstairs. Now I heard nothing at all.
    I stopped pacing as the inexplicable panic reached a crescendo. Not knowing why I was doing it, I turned and faced the stairwell. And suddenly, there she was.
    I hadn’t heard a single creak out of the stairs. That’s because she’d been sneaking. If it hadn’t been for the creeping panic that made me look, I never would have gotten out of the way in time. There was a loud pop, and I threw myself to the floor. Taser probes rocketed through the space I’d just vacated, embedding themselves harmlessly into the back of a chair. Val cursed softly and ejected the spent cartridge.
    I didn’t have time for shock, or outrage, or even pain. She reloaded, and I snatched a cushion off the sofa. I ducked behind it just as the Taser popped again. I felt the impact of the probes hitting the cushion, but—thank you, Jesus—it was thick enough to insulate me.
    I peeked over the top of the cushion to see Val closing in on me, Taser still at the ready. She was going to try to take me down in